(White Rabbit's Foot Fern)

This evergreen to semi-evergreen fern derives its common name from its fuzzy exposed rhizomes (creeping stems), which anchor it to trees and rocks in its native Indochina.

The leathery, dark green, narrowly triangular fronds of this tender fern arise from a slowly expanding network of silver-furred rhizomes. The upright to arching, pinnately compound (feather-shaped) fronds have about a dozen pinnate segments.

This fern likes bright shade, high humidity, even moisture, and frost-free temperatures,...

(African Ivy, Cape Ivy, Climbing Groundsel, German Ivy)

Lustrous, angular leaves that grow from sprawling and twining burgundy-violet stems makes the cape ivy alluring year round. However, the rampant growth rate, rooting stems and high production of seeds usually finds this perennial vine from South Africa considered a noxious environmental weed. Cape ivy has been naturalized across various continents, especially in Mediterranean climates throughout coastal forests.

The leaves are rounded with six large blunt lobes or massive teeth, always mimicking...

(Flamboyant Tree, Flame Tree, Royal Poinciana)

Often called the most beautiful flowering tree in the world, royal poinciana fills its spreading, handsome branches with feathery foliage and flamboyant scarlet-orange blossoms in late spring and early summer. A semi-deciduous tree native to the island of Madagascar, it is drought and salt-tolerant, making it among the quintessential trees for tropical landscapes, rivaled for its fame only by the coconut palm.

Typically without leaves in the dry winter months, the tree buds with the return of...

(Cooper's Ice Plant)

Masses of hot pink flowers, drought tolerance and vigorous growth are the hallmarks of Cooper’s ice plant. This herbaceous perennial is native to South Africa where it is commonly found growing in dry, poor soils. When in bloom it becomes covered with bright pink daisy-like flowers with white eyes. These appear with regularity from spring until summer. The medium green foliage is succulent, cylindrical and covered with many small flakes that resemble ice, hence the common name “ice plant.”

This...

(Cooper's Ice Plant, Mesa Verde® Ice Plant)

This is one of those must have succulents. The beautiful blooms of Mesa Verde™ are delicate salmon pink and literally cover the plants early in the season. It was discovered in 1998 by Panayoti Kelaidis of Denver, Colorado as a naturally occurring mutation of an unnamed Delosperma cooperi cultivar.

Drought tolerance and vigorous growth are the hallmarks of Cooper’s ice plant. This herbaceous perennial is native to South Africa where it is commonly found growing in dry, poor soils. When...

(White Ice Plant)

The cool, silvery, white iceplant is heat and drought tolerant and blooms over a long period throughout summer and fall. This succulent perennial forms spreading mounds of gray-green succulent leaves that are fleshy and three-sided. The silvery foliage compliments its glistening daisy-like flowers, which draw bees and butterflies. The flowers are followed by inconspicuous brown winged capsules filled with tan seeds.

This native of eastern South Africa naturally inhabits rocky screes on mountainsides...

(Australian Pink Rock Orchid, Captain King's Dendrobium, Pink Rock Lily, Pink Rock Orchid)

This clump-forming orchid is grown for its handsome evergreen foliage and for its late winter to early spring display of showy fragrant flowers. It is native to upland forests of eastern Australia, growing on rock outcroppings and cliffs.

This relatively cold-hardy dendrobium bears long lance-shaped leaves on 4- to 12-inch (10- to 30-cm), narrowly conical "pseudobulbs." White, pink, purple, or red blooms are produced in erect or curving, 3- to 20-flowered clusters in late winter or early spring....

(Male Bamboo, Timber Bamboo)

Male bamboo is one of the Eastern Hemisphere's most important plants for economic uses and is native to southeastern China, India and Southeast Asia. This is a tall, large clumping species that is drought and low humidity tolerant and grows well in areas normally disregarded as being favorable for bamboo. The stems, or culms, have been used by many local peoples in Asia for making paper, building construction, furniture, mats and baskets.

Male bamboo needs full sun in any well-drained soil....

(Dendrochilum Orchid, Large-leaved Chain Orchid)

This epiphytic orchid is grown for its long chain-like clusters of tiny yellow flowers. It is native to upland forests of the Philippines, where it grows on tree branches and rock ledges.

The broadly lance-shaped, light green leaves of this frost-tender orchid are borne on clusters of short narrowly conical "pseudobulbs," with each pseudobulb producing one leaf. A pendent, catkin-like spike of fragrant, greenish-yellow blooms is borne on an arching flower stalk in spring, and sometimes again...

(Harford's Tree Poppy, Island Bush Poppy)

Grown for its lush evergreen foliage and sunny poppy-flowers, this medium to large shrub from California's Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands makes a great choice for mild-climate gardens.

Bluish green, blunt-tipped, oval leaves crowd the upright to arching branches of this relatively cold-tender shrub. Numerous bright yellow, four-petaled poppies are borne toward the branch tips from spring into summer. The solitary, 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7.5-cm) blooms have a central flourish of orange-yellow...